A Flame in the Darkness
by Snake Of The West
Summary: A new player joins Team RWBY. One who's dark past could very well be the death of them all.
1. Prologue

Hope.

What's left in life, when hope runs out?

How do you recover, when the only one who has been with you through all the hells and horrors of you life is gone?

Dead, ended, no longer with us. all it what you want, she's still dead.

Killed by that orange haired bastard Some may think that at 18 years of age, i'm a little young want someone in jail for life, or worse.

But hey, isn't that what this school is all about?

Training kids to become hunters? Bringing justice by any means necessary.


	2. Hard Landing

Talk about a one sided partnership, he thought as he hurtled towards the forest below, seeing Pyrrha impale Jaune to a tree, stopping the idiots fall.

May as well follow suit, he mused, drawing his Sword Dagshelgr, slamming it horizontally into a passing tree trunk, bringing him to a bone jarring halt, 40 meters above the ground.

Dropping lightly to a nearby branch, …. yanked Dagshelgr out of the treetrunk, and sheathed it, drawing his eyes over the surrounding area, noting other initiates landing, and several clearings bunched against the horizon. Might as well make a move. I do kinda want to make it into a team. Doing all the work myself would be a drain after a while. Nothing new there though.

Hopping lightly from branch to branch, he made his way to the forest floor, executing a simple roll as he dropped the last 6 ft to the ground with a sigh. "I hate walking".

~Break~

Lifes funny, ya know?

We plan out where we want to be in 5, 10, even 30 years. But theres always something. Good or bad, it takes our plans, and tosses them out the window. I suppose thats why i wanted to come here. To remove at least some of those bad things from the lives of others.

Well, at least after i stop getting hit in the gut by Beowulfs.

He let out a grunt as the shaggy paw flew out of no where and sent him sprawling away, gasping for breath.

"Now the fun starts", he thought, smiling grimly to himself, slowly pushing himself to his feet, and rotating back to face the Grim. Plural. The lead Beowulf let out a low growl, which was echoed from the bushes behind it, as 5 more of its kind stalked out after their leader.

He lay a both of his hands against his hips, feeling the comforting weight of his weapons resting there, along with the dozen magazines of ammunition for his pistol secreted across his lower body and belt, and another half dozen for the "other" form weapons combined into.

He scanned the bushes around him, slowly drawing on his sembelance to aid him, and finding no one, returned his full attention to the threat in front of him.

The beowulf howled, and charged, the largest of them drawing close with startling speed.

With a quick war cry, he charged as well, sidestepping the beasts charge, and in the process, drawing his Sword and sliding it through the animal's spine.

As it tumbled past him, he stopped dead, lowering his blade to his leg, and letting it move in slow circles, waiting for the next assault.

The wolfs stopped, staring at the one who had so easily killed their Alpha. Grinning internally at their hesitance, he snapped his hand back to his thigh and drew his pistol, dropping to a knee as his did so, leveling it at the closest beast. Without missing a beat, he disengaged the safety, and flicked the wheel changing its fire to automatic. Drawing a bead on the wolfs head, he gently depressed the trigger, sending rounds flying into the animal's skull, drawing his fire to the right even as the first one fell dead.

Stopping his fire, he looked down at the dead forms at his feet. "All to easy" he muttered, dragging his blade through the grass to wipe the blood from it, standing and sheathing it once he was satisfied. He dropped the expended magazine from his pistol, and drew a replacement from his belt, sliding it in, and racking the slide, readying it for use one more.

A snapping twig, snapped him to attention once more, spinning with his gun ready to shoot.

A moment later a muffled "boop", calmed his nerves, as he recognised the hyperactive voice of the orange haired girl he had seen on the first morning at Beacon.

Following her may not be a bad idea he thought.. A grenade launcher come warhammer might be a nice weapon to have at my side. So long as shes good with it. Sliding his pistol back into its place on his thigh, he strode towards the noise he had heard. He stopped at the treeline and nimbly hopped up to he was covered by the foliage.

Running quickly, he jumped the small distances between tree limbs, thanking the forest, that it was closely grown. Shortly he came across the Girl. Only, she was not alone. Her partner was a young ethnic boy, dressed in a green and black tunic, bearing two bladed guns, similar to his own. Its ends draped across each other like some morbid trophy, a King Tuju was laying behind them, dead as can be.

"Well, they can't be the only worthwhile partners in this thing", he thought, staring at their backs, as they moved off from the clearing, drowning out his hearing with the girl, "Nora's" incessant chattering. Screw it, he thought, dropping to the ground, and leaving the site of the Tuju's death. I'll do the same thing.

Moving slowly, so as to avoid more incidents like his run in with the Beowulf's, he turned to the east, and followed the slope of the forest downhill, keeping his pace to a brisk jog. While doing so, he reached out around him with his semblance, testing for any disturbances or quirks around him.


	3. A look at His Past

As the last pairing of Nora and Wren formed, Ozpin turned his attention to the histories of the young people fighting in the forest below him. As part of its selection process, Beacon academy made detailed, and exhaustive checks into all of its prospective students past.

Ozpin let his scroll move through the list of names.

Rose,Ruby. Age:15. Place of birth:Vale

Winchester, Cardin Age: 17.

Valkyrie, Nora. Age:17. Assessment: Hyperactive personality. Strong fighter. Overexcitable to the enth degree.

Nikos, Pyrrah Age: 17. Place of birth: Mistral

However he took a pause at one name.

Aleksander:

Family name: Unknown.

Place of Residence: Unknown.

Age: Believed to be 18 years old.

Aura Strength: Unknown.

Semblance: Unknown.

Parental History :

Parents Names: Unknown

Parents employed by Government Security Command(GovSecCom) Facility 17, Biological weapons division. Classification level:Ultraviolet.

Removed from service due to psychological instability when Aleksander was 5 years of age. They were reported as dead, the day after his 8th birthday.

Mother had been Raped, and had her throat cut.

Father died from a single bullet to the brain.

From age 9 to 16, there are no records of Aleksander.

However during this period of time, there were several reports of someone attacking Government installations affiliated with the Biological weapons division. The attacker bore the same clothing that Aleks's father wore the day he died, which was noted in the last transmission from one facility. Whether this is coincidence, or whether it was indeed Aleksander attacking, is unknown at this time.

During the attacks, security footage was blacked out by what appeared to be a cloud of shadows, that blanketed each compound. However, after the cloud receded, cameras recorded several staff from the facilities had been hung, after apparently being tortured for information.

Resurfacing.:

From the time that he reappeared, Aleksander has been a quiet member of society. He has not had any trouble with the Law, nor has he drawn on any services normally used by an this drew questioning from various agencies charged with the protection or orphans, he refused to answer any questions when spoken to. All of these exchanges took place in public areas, not any form of "Home" environment. After the conclusion of these talks, agents reported Aleksander disappearing right in front of their eyes.

Information gathered by Beacon Academy agents:

From age 14 to 16, Aleksander was held prisoner by the White Fang. ( See attached White Fang document for operations during this time).

During a White Fang assault on perceived human racists, Aleksander defended those being attacked, and was in turn attacked himself. As a result of the casualties he inflicted on the White Fang strike force, the commander of the raid order him taken hostage. It is unknown where he was held during this time, but the white fang released several videos of him being tortured, and forced to compete in Blood Sports. Approximately 4.5 months after his 16th birthday, he walked into Vale Hospital, with multiple internal injuries, a punctured lung, lacerations and 2nd degree burns to 68% of his body, 5 fractured bones, and the bloody head of a key White Fang leader in his hand.

Against the orders of medical staff, Aleksander discharged himself from hospital after only 3 weeks treatment. Beacon operatives were unable to determine his location after his discharge.

During his time in hospital, staff gave him several psychological debriefings, alongside many other medical tests. Their assessment concluded with one sentence.

"Aleksander has the potential to become the most dangerous Sociopathic murderer humanity has ever seen. We recommend his immediate confinement to a secure psychological hospital, and round the clock observation alongside neural suppressants and physical immobilisers".

He arrived at the gates of beacon academy approximately 6 months ago, and tossed the head of the fanus he had killed over the wall and then left without a word.

"And after that day, i set a letter offering him a place at beacon on the lock of the gates. It was gone that night. Not one camera or guard saw it be taken" Muttered ozpin, as he closed the file.

"Were you wrong Professor?", Asked Glynda Goodwitch, who had been reading over his shoulder.

He motioned for the huntress to observe her own scroll. It showed a flapping cloak for just the barest of moments, before the hidden camera settled on a grisly scene. An ursa hung dead on the screen, swinging gently in the wind. Its intestines were dragging across the ground.

"We shall know soon enough".

All that answered him was a small, sharp intake of breath.

Blood blotted out the camera screen.

**Aleks:**

He smiled as he noted the blood hitting the camera lens. "well, never let it be said i don't know how to put on a show for people", he laughed out to the forest. "But really", he wondered. Why are all the Beowulf's, and ursi coming after me. Thats number 34 for the initiation.

348 grimm killed total for my life. And god knows how many other thing's i've killed.

He broke out into a run towards the temple again, the blood from the ursa caking over his face and arms.


	4. A Band Of 5

Some time later, still maintaining his fast pace, the sounds of gunfire and screeching reached his ears. Increasing to a light run, he broke through the tree line, and immediately stamped on his brakes.

He found himself teetering at the edge of a cliff face, that must have been over 200 meters in height. Below him was a network of Stone bridges spanning a gap to another, much lower cliff. In the mid point of these two locations, stood an old shrine, which at this moment, bore a gigantic nevermore. While he watched, the beast lofted itself up, and swung its wings in, sending a barrage of feathers at the orange haired girl he had seen before, a moment later, shying away as she fired off her own salvo of grenades, before fleeing from the Deathstalker approaching from behind.

"Well. A 300 meter jump, or an exposition of a groups abilities.", he muttered to himself.

"Screw it, they don't need my help", he said. Alongside this, an internal voice told him to watch them, as potential enemies at a later date.

Thinking this he once again drew his blade and pistol, before lining up their respective handles, and clicking them together via a small notch in the base. A gentle whirring followed this action, as the parts of his two weapons began to slide, fold, and move around one another, slowly taking the form of a compact rifle, lacking only one thing. He knelt on the grass edge of the Cliff, and reached into a long tube like pochet on the rear of his belt, drawing from it a high powered sniper scope. Fixing it to his rifle, his final act was to draw one of the half-Dozen magazines he had with him for his rifle, and slide it into place, racking a round, ready to fire.

He secreted himself behind the weapon, staring down his scope at the mayhem unfolding below him. He moved his focus just in time to see the ethnic guy tossed like a rag doll into a stone pillar, and flop to the ground. He winced internally at that. Getting thrown into a wall is never fun.

An enormous explosion swung his attention around once more, as he glimpsed Jaune and Pyrrah fly through the air, followed shortly by The orange haired girl, the deathstalker dropping slowly into the abyss behind them.

"Huh" Was all he said. "That takes a lot of work normally. Talented group".

Rapid rounds followed the silence he was in. He scanned across the far side of the cliffs, trying to determine its source, before looking to the center shrine of the chasm, seeing a blur of white flying onto a shattered edge of a bridge. Watching with a great deal of amusement, he starred as the girl in red, hooked her scythe around a black ribbon held by the black and yellow girls, and was propelled towards the now trapped Nevermore by the White girls Glyph. She slammed into the cliff directly below him, before moments later, catapulting over his head, in a spray of blood, sending the Nevermore's head into the sky with her.

~Break~

Ruby:

With a scream, Ruby fired a few final shots, and launched herself off the top of the cliff, ripping the Nevermore's head, landing gracefully a few feet from the cliff edge, the head landing with a wet thud on the ground. Still trembling slightly from the adrenaline rush that accompanied the last few minutes, she slowly sheathed Crescent Rose, and turned around to check on her Teammates, not noticing the slow drifting shadows, making their way towards the Bloodied head nearby. After hearing a few shouts of "Wait there, we'll be up soon", from Yang, she simply sat down to wait, before shrieking in abject fear as the Nevermore's head suddenly flew off the cliff. A figure, covered in gore and blood, rose off the ground and turned to face her.

It was human. Shrouded in a long black cloak, similar to her own. "You know, I've been slapped, hit, kicked, shot, had my head smashed through glass, but i think having a pile of blood and guts dropped on me, is a new way to meet a person. Normally its polite to at least tell a guy your name before you do that." The figure said, somewhat sarcastically, striding over and removing the hood which covered its head offering her its hand. No, His hand. That voice was male, she thought, taking the offered hand.

Standing closer to him now, she got her first real look at him. And almost recoiled in fear. What she could only describe as pure death stared back at her.

Two polished orbs of onyx black gazed at her, taking in the whole of her being. Almost too quickly for her to note, he blinked, and the orbs cleared, giving way to ice blue eyes. Ruby Blinked, trying to understand what she saw. Shaking her head, she dismissed it as an illusion. No one has black eyes she thought. The rest of the boy's body was easier to understand however. A short cropped head of dark brown hair covered him, contrasting with the bright eyes he had. They were set in what some might call an "unremarkable", face, but which betrayed to Ruby, a darkness she had only seen once before. The day her mother had died.

His body was bloodied, but as best she could tell, it was subtly muscled, almost misleadingly so. However the way he held himself, the way he moved and spoke told her that he was stronger than met the eye. His clothing was simple and rugged, giving little regard to anything except comfort and function, barring the cloak he bore. He wore a belt festooned with almost 20 pouches of what looked like ammunition, much smaller than her own Crescent Rose's, some even seeming too small to fit in the rifle he now held across his chest in a confident manner. A sheath, empty of its charge, hung at his hip. And finally, a holster was strapped to his left thigh, also, "curiously empty", thought Ruby.

Her attention returned to his ice cold face when his voice invaded her consciousness once again. "Sorry about the whole shadows flipping the nevermore head off the cliff thing. But it was easier than me doing it . I am Ruby." She said back to him. "And you are?", She shot back with a archy tone, resting a hand over the handle of Crescent Rose, still holstered on her back. She couldn't be sure, but this person seemed strong. Confidant. And most certainly, Dangerous.

"It varies depending on the people you're talking to. But in this life, Aleksander , will do just fine. Or Aleks, as most people call me", he said, a hit of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

A moment later, Aleks spun and dropped to a knee, facing the forest where an Ursa had just emerged. Ruby watched him focus, and send three rounds straight into its brain. The beast flopped over, dead. Within a split second he was on his feet again, facing her. The entire event had taken no more than 3 seconds.

"Wow", was all ruby was able to say, given the ferocity of his attack. "Sorry to introduce myself and run Ruby, but I kind of want to get to the relics and find a partner before nightfall". Aleks said, taking a few steps back from the cliff edge. "So, if you'll excuse me", he said, breaking into a sprint.

Ruby watched in amazement as the shadows around the forest edge flew past him, and formed into a narrow beam, leading from their current position, down to the other line of cliffs. He leapt off the cliff, and landed nimbly in a half crouch, sliding down the length of the beam like it was slick with water, picking up momentum, before he jumped once more, and landed down next to the distant figures of Jaune, and the others, Ruby could see, seemingly miles away. "Ok. ", she said again. "Shadows are cool".

Aleks:

As he dropped to the ground, next to a startled looking Jaune, he flipped his hood up once more, obscuring his face and eyes. "I'd get up to Ruby and the others", he said to Jaune, Norah, Pyrahh and Wren. "You'd all best get back to Beacon as fast as you can. Just follow the smell of blood. My trail to here should be fairly clear of Grimm". At that, he took off at a dead sprint, his feet lightly slapping the ground, leaving a stunned group in his wake, staring at the flapping tails of his cloak.

~Break~

You know what they say about bad things? They always come when you least need them. Or want them. Or expect them. Seems like my life has been filled with bad things. Murdered parents, 15 serious wounds before age 8, and 42 more that could have killed me in the past 10 years. And thats not counting every wound i've ever had. Just the life threatening ones. Still. You'd figure that a place like Beacon Academy would make sure that besides the Grimm, nothing else bad could really happen in their initiation, wouldn't you? Let me tell you this. You're dead wrong.

Aleks slid to a stop at the outer ring of the forest temple, breathing lightly after his run from the cliffs. And let out one harsh expletive.

"Fuck".

He was standing, looking at 32 stone pillars, on which he guessed would have stood the Relics. There was just one small problem. All 32 were empty. Not one single relic remained. "I always draw the short straw he muttered", feeling the anger and rage build inside him, at once again, being cheated out of his life.

Before he could mope again, he was tossed violently into a wall, and with a thump, he slid to the ground, a streak of blood emanating from his head. Through blurry eyes, he say a baby deathstalker advancing on him. "God damm you assholes! well done killing mummy and leaving the baby all alone", he screamed inside, attempting to haul himself off the ground. He lurched violently as he was lifted up in a huge claw. It dragged him up to the monsters eyes, and slowly began to squeeze. Four sharp cracks sounded in quick succession, as the Deathstalker's claw dislocated his ribs like matchsticks.

Instinctively, he grabbed onto the claw, and pushed, giving himself some room to breath, and cough. Bright red blood splattered across the white crest of bone and covered the Grimms eyes. Thinking as quickly as he could, he pulled a shadow from under the grimm, and shaped it into a sharp blade like object, which he sent flying into one of the beasts eyes. It shrieked and reared back, dropping him to the ground. He crumpled like a sack of meat, before rolling over and slowly scrambling to his feet.

Stumbling over to his discarded rifle, he grabbed it, and took to a knee, his heart pumping wildly, each breath stabbing into his ribs with pain. He managed to steady his aim, and fired off a slow volley of shots into the Deathstalkers eyes, puncturing each of them in turn. The young grimm howled in its screeching tone, and shied away from where the shots had come from. It dragged itself back towards a distant cave.

"Run home you bastard, your mothers already dead.", Shouted Aleks, defiantly. He then promptly collapsed back against a pillar. Sinking slowly to the ground, he probed around the blood on his head, thankfully only finding a big cut, and not a fracture as he had feared. He then turned his attention to his were dislocated, and one was snapped clean in two. That'll need to come out, or i'll run the risk of puncturing a lung. He drew his sword gingerly, and held it against his skin.

A howl lit up the forest. His blade became slick with his own blood, and soon enough two white pieces of bone graced the forest floor. Spitting out some blood from a heavily broken lip, pulled a bandage from his belt, and set to work closing his wound. 5 minutes later, he lever himself up with his sword, and flexed his body, making sure he could still use it, and fight if needed. The stream of blood from his head had dried up, leaving a slash of gore diagonally across his face.

He turned to look at the deathstalker den, still hearing the keening cries of the blinded offspring on the wind. Bearing his lips in a snarl, he drew shadows around him, and prepared to collapse the entire mountain around it. "Control god dammit!, If you let the shadows control you, who knows what you'll do!", he screamed internally "I know. And i still have the blood on my hands from when i last lost control", he thought bitterly, staring at his hands. "It never washes off. Not off my hands, or out of my mind", he murmured to himself. Drawing several slow breaths, he returned to logic. "I guess there no point staying here", he said. "Guess the headmaster will be sending me packing". He slowly limped back towards Beacon, a small amount of blood seeping through his bandage, causing him to wince with every step.

Once again, he stopped however, catching a glimpse of a white flash on the ground. Turning to face it, he moved over and picked it up. It was a chess piece. A White knight to be precise. The same as he had seen attached to Ruby's belt. "Huh. Guess the team who grabbed this wasn't as careful". He sighed internally. I'm gonna return this to the team who first grabbed it, aren't i? God i hate having my sense of justice sometimes." Finally. Slowly, he made his way back to Beacon, sliding the Knight into an empty ammunition pouch as he did.

~Break~

He was one of the last to return to the Cliffs. As he hauled himself over the lip, his arms shaking from his climb, he heard loud scream, and looked up to see Ruby, White, and Black, crowding around the Yellow haired girl.

"HOW COULD I LOSE IT!" She screeched, tearing through the minimal pockets of her attire, searching in vain for the "Cute Little Horsy" as she had called it. "What do we do!?" She asked Black franticly. "I mean, we have no relic now!"

He reached into his pouch and pulled out the horse. With a sad smile, he threw the horse towards to cluster of girls. It smacked into Yellow's side, and hit the ground with a smack. He saw the groups gaze turn to the ground, and then around to him. Unable to resist just one sarcastic remark, he called out, "Did you drop something?".

"It would seem they did", a strident voice said, from over his shoulder. As the girls gaze moved off him, he also turned, facing Professor Ozpin, who had arrived behind them both. "Now tell me young man. Why would you return a lost relic, and in so doing, potentially lose your chance of attending my Academy? Especially when you were so badly wounded when you gained it."

"Because it was right", he simply replied.

"Hmm", was all Ozpin said, before moving on towards to main hall. Aleks turned to follow him, nodding at Ruby and her team as he walked past, ignoring their shocked stared at his gruesome appearance.

"Presentation of teams, and then. Well. Back to to how i was i suppose", he thought to himself, trudging along towards the hall".

~Break~ "And finally, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, And Yang Xiao Long". You four retrieved the White Knight pieces. However. You did not all return them to Beacon. One pair of you, lost your Relic. Another student returned this to you. And now, he will join you, the final member of your team. Aleksander!", called Ozpin.

"Join us on the stage, if you please". All heads turned at that. A team of 5? Not quite what they were all expecting, he mused as he stepped out of the comforting shadows he had been hiding in, and made his way to the stage, at least somewhat cleaner that when he had returned. He arrived, standing next to a very stunned group of girls. "Your choice, to return the Relic, to its rightful owner, shows Honour , and a true sense of morality. Two things that many people lack in their world". Hence forth, the 5 of you shall be known as Team RWBY.", the Professor said with a smile.

"This is shaping up to be a very interesting year.


	5. Signs and Scars

Long before dawn, he woke. It was natural now. His body woke him at 4am, every day without fail. He rolled off his makeshift bed on the floor, and started his routine. 100 pushups, the same again of situps. Just enough to get his mind awake. And then he left, taking only his sword.. His ribs still ached, and the scar on his head threatened to split open at any time, but he still left. At 6, he returned, It's needs satisfied. As he approached the dorm, a lick of shadow descended to hang before him. "Test me if you will", he whispered to the drifting darkness. "They are under my protection". With a subtle flick the shadow dissipated. Sighing, he opened the room, and stepped inside, noticing four filled beds. He shook his head. I guess living on the edge for most of your life gives you a certain sense of danger, he mused silently to himself, slowly moving to his place on the floor. He drew out two small bottle of pills, drawing a dark blue one out of one, and ignoring the other altogether. Swallowing it dry, he stood, and slunk to the nearest corner. There he stayed, until they woke. Silent, and ever watching.

It was interesting observing their morning routines, he thought. Ruby, fast, eager. Yang, slow, until she got some coffee into her. Blake, up not long after i returned, Calm, quiet, and collected as always, and yet shocked that someone was awake before her when she finally noticed him in the corner. And Weiss. Still asleep. A grim smile touched his lips as he saw Ruby pull a whistle from her bag, and place it right next to Weiss's head. A shrill blast filled the dorm room, followed by a very annoyed "What in the world is wrong with you!", as the Heiress toppled off her bed, and smacked onto the floor.

Not that the floor was a particularly bad place to be, mused Aleks. Its comfortable to sleep on. Solid enough to bash something around on. And a good base to launch an attack from. Still. If i get the choice, it'd be nice to have some other form of bed. He zoned back in to hear Blake and Yang mention something about unpacking, and cleaning. Ha. Great in theory, if he had more than what he wore on his back, and the equipment he took into combat. A few small things to clean his gear with. And a small black box, containing what amounted to the remains of his old life.

The next hour was spent in a small flurry of activity, as beds were raised to the ceiling, books were piled, posters stuck up, and all and sundry took place. Personally, he attached a few small rings in the ceiling, and strung a hammock like thing from reasoned that the last place a would be attacker would look, was directly above the door. And a view through the window would only afford the peeper a look at a the side of his bed which he had painted to mimic the look of the brick wall it was strung in front of.

He mentally kicked himself as he strung his sleeping platform up. "This is beacon academy, you should be safe. Stop being so damned paranoid", the sensible part of his brain said. However, he still made sure that the knife proof fabric of his bed and its bulletproof liner was in place. The aching line of warped flesh across his back made sure of that. A change of clothes went into his small cupboard space, along with his combat webbing, combat clothes , and a single change of day clothing. That was the sum of his possessions. Total, it took up less space than his torso. Not much to show for 18 years of life. His set up total, took 15 minutes. For the rest of the hour, he watched as the four girls bustle about. The shear amount of things they brought with them astounded him. "At least their fighting equipment is mobile", he muttered to himself.

A dejected Ruby slumping down on her bed, saying "Classes", was the next thing that drew his attention. Raising an eyebrow at her, he casually called over, "I believe that class starts at 9 sharp?". "Yeah. We have time, don't we?". Weiss let out a sharp cry of alarm. "Its 8.55 you dunce!", sprinting out the door in a flurry. He turned to jog out the door after her, calling rather harshly back over his shoulder, "Keep track of time, or dig your own grave".

~Break~

"I do".

Standing suddenly, Aleks Answered the professor's challenge.

At the his urging, he stepped down into the center of the classroom, receiving only a few whispered "Good lucks", from his team, and a furious look off the Ice Queen, who he had beaten to the point. "Tough luck princess", he thought taking his position.

Bringing his Axe crashing down on the lock, Professor Port let the Boarbatusk move out. Looking down at his holsters and sheathed weapons, he muttered derisively, "I don't need these", before lowering his body, and pointing his shoulder at the beast. It snorted once, and charged. Aleks drew the shadows in around him, and moved them into a single focal point over his presented shoulder.

He charged the beast, letting out an animalistic howl of his own, feeling the fire return to his blood. Laughing at the shocked gasps of his classmates, and the incredulous comments of the dimwitted professor, he smacked into the Grimm, and utterly pulverised its head. Blood splattered everywhere as the Boarbatusk's body simply collapsed, a gruesome stump and shard of bone presented in place of its skull.

_"Good_", It cooed to him. "_Embrace me. Feel my strength, my power. DEATH. LET THE BLOOD FLOW!"_

It howled in his mind. He stopped, frozen in place, feeling Its tendrils seeping through the layers of his mind, his eyes glazing over to the pitch black Onyx once more.

His body began to subtly shudder as It wormed its way through his mind. "Not now!" He screamed at it, smashing his force of will back against It's influence. It telegraphed a smirking face to his eyes. _"So be it. But i shall have my day yet_". It simply withdrew at that, leaving him standing in silence, in front of a shocked room.

"WELL!. It appears that we are indeed in the presence of a true Hunter in training", boomed the professor. "I'm afraid thats all we have time for today. Class! Dismissed!".

Aleks remained standing in place a moment longer before turning on his heel, and beating the throng of student clamoring to leave the classroom. Fuming at himself, he made his way back to the dorm room, unholstering his weapons and tossing them onto his bed. Deciding next to deal with the blood staining his clothing, he pulled off his shirt, only to freeze in place as he picked up a series of hushed gasps. Turning his head slightly, he caught a view of Weiss, Ruby, Blake and Yang standing in the open doorway, shocked expressions on their faces.

_"They know. The see."_

"Your point being", he shot back.

_"Can you trust them"?_

"More than i trust you, monster".

_"I am as much you, as you are me. If i am a monster, then what are you"?._

He ignored It, standing silent, just waiting for one of the girls to make a move. Eventually, he just called out, "How long exactly do you plan on staring at me?". Finally, he got a response. A muffled "How?", came at him from Ruby, as she ushered the other inside, and shut the door. " Most of these i got from the White Fang Including the big one. A few others from protection jobs i took. And then the fresh ones are from the initiation."

At the mention of the White Fang, Blake's head shot up, a look of suspicion passing quickly across her face, before she hid it behind her casual look of neutrality. "Watch this one. There is more to her than meets the eye". "I agree. We shall watch." Raising his arms over his head, he attempted to toss on a shirt, but before he could do so, he doubled over, clutching his gut in pain. His side had reopened slightly, sending a fresh wave of blood seeping out. An assortment of shrieks assailed his ears, as the blood dripped onto the floor. "God damm it." Groaned Aleks, Clenching his hands tightly around the wound."A flurried Weiss and Ruby screamed something about getting help, before tearing out the door. All he got out in reply was "Don't b…", before returning to himself. "Blake, grab my sword, would you? And Yang, fire right? Arghh...Your semblance?". "Uuh, yeah", she stuttered out. "Heat my sword up. White hot if you can", gritting his teeth against the pain. Stunned, Yang reached over and touched the tip of the sword, flaring her Semblance until his blade glowed like the sun. He took the sword from Blake, and clenched the puckered edges of his scut together as evenly as he could. He inverted the blade, and lightly pressed the glowing tip to his flesh. A rotten sizzling sound greeted the room, along with a smell that almost knocked Blake out. The stench of burning flesh filled the room as he painstakingly drew his makeshift cauterizer across his wound. The girls screams had already drawn the attention of several nearby staff, who stormed into the room just as he was finishing his work. "What in the name of hellfire are you doing!?" thundered Professor Port, stooping down over his gut, trying to gauge the severity of Aleks's wound.

A dark, calculating smile was returned to him. "Surviving Professor. Besides the smell, i see no problem with this", he said, grimacing as he planted the still hot sword on the floor, and levered himself up. "WERE HERE!, O…...Oh." Was what the blaze of red shouted as it stormed through the door, before promptly being bowled over by her partner over in an attempt to get away from the overwhelming stench of burned flesh. Blake hurriedly tossed open the window, allowing the smell to waft out before retching out of it herself. The nurse who had followed Ruby and Weiss back to the dorm pushed her way into the room, stopping as she saw his gruesome, and messy, albeit successful work. "Not pretty, but it'll do i suppose. A bonehead like you won't agree to coming to the hospital will you?". Aleks just raised an eyebrow at her. "You said it'll do, didn't you?". "Miss Goodwitch, i suggest you try not to accept boneheads too often. They're a pain to treat", she said, turning around and leaving. "On a side note, i don't think any member of team RWBY will be needing my services, with his apparent first aid skills", leading to another round of Weiss and Blake attempting to remove their lunches from their stomachs at the thought.


	6. Dreams

**A/N Sooooo...What on earth do people say in these things? **

**Shoutouts! To OkamiTheBlueWolf, thank you so much for giving me all the help you have. Go check out her work people, its awesome, funny, and just a tad Fluffy. **

**Next Up is CodyKnight22, again, thank you for sending me down the right path with this, and allowing me to use your ideas for this story. Check out his work! Its a mix of everything that works out amazingly. **

**And lastly, about the path of this story. It will be getting a bit darker from here on out. It will include a lot from my experiences with mental illness. So it you're not ok with that, BACK OUT NOW!. **

**Otherwise, thank you so much to the crazy buggers who have Reviewed, Favorited and Followed my work. **

**Now, we walk in hell. **

* * *

A bleak black wilderness greeted his eyes when they opened. He stood on an empty plain, stretching further than he could see in every direction. No walls, no celling, no floor that he could see, although he was most certintally standing on something. All that he could discern was what sounded like running water.

"_Hello again_".

Aleks whirled, and uttered a single word, in a tone that sounded like death itself.

"You".

A figure melted out of the gloom in front of him, dressed exactly as he dressed for combat, the only difference being that this figures cloak was torn and tattered.

"_Come now. Is that any way to talk to someone who has saved your life?"_ The figure asked, halting face to face with Aleks.

It tossed back its hood, and he found himself face to face with his worst nightmare. It bore a titanic, gruesome scar across its face, stretching from its left temple to its right jawbone. Its eyes were pitch black Onyx. Bottomless pits, that seemed to devour all they saw before them, sat in sunken hollows, giving the face a look of age far beyond its true years. Its mouth was drawn in a tight line, looking for all the world like another scar against its pale face. Its hair was cropped as short as his own, but it bore the colour of its eyes, another shade of black.

He found himself looking at his worst nightmare.

Himself.

It slowly walked around him, nodding at the sights it saw.

"_You're looking well. I congratulate you on your work yesterday. Of course, you never would have needed those measures had you simply let me handle matters in the initiation. "_

"You expect me to trust you after the last incident?" he spat back.

"_Granted, that was…..Unfortunate. But it was a small mistake. Surely that doesn't warrant all the hostility you've shown me since then."_

"Yes, it does. 40 people dead. Hundreds of Thousands of Lein in damages. Fires in half of Mistral's Port. And you call that unfortunate? And small?"

_It _shrugged. "_Semantics. I stopped the White Fang and saved your life, for the umpteenth time_."

"And you only had to kill dozens to do it. Now I know why I love death so much. It's your influence."

"_Are you denying that you enjoy it? The power you hold over a being. Its life in your hands. And if you deem it unworthy of life, the warm gentile caress of its blood cascading over your body as your blade meets its throat."_

"I deny that you have the right to exist".

He was returned a deathly dark smile. "_No matter. You can only deny that which is for a finite length of time. On the other hand, I think we need to have a talk about your "Team mates", after your little display yesterday. White and Yellow don't seem to be an issue. They take you at face value. Black on the other hand. She is an observant one. And the way her bow twitches. That suggests to me that she's hiding something."_

"Why the hell do you care about a dammed Fanus?"

"_Fanus you think? Hmm. No wonder she had such a reaction when you mentioned the wounds we received the hands of the White Fang. She may even know the one who created me. Hmm. No matter. She knows nothing of me yet. If I must, I will break her. Red on the other hand, has seen my eyes. You hid me well, but she saw."_

"She doesn't know what she saw. I made sure of it. Blood from the nevermore made sure of that. I told you, they are under my protection. Try and touch them in any manner, and I will die to stop you."

"_Pray that you are right. If I must affect her to maintain your secret, then be sure, I will."_

Aleks fixed him with a flat stare, looking straight into _It's_ dead eyes. "Why did you bring me here?"

"_Because you can't ignore me forever. And since you've been so resistant of my efforts lately, I thought I should take this opportunity to….remind you that I will always be here, no matter your efforts. That was all." It_ said, turning to walk away. "_Now, it's almost morning in your world. I suggest you maintain you're….normal life. I'll be seeing you again, shortly."_

At that _It_ turned around, and walked off into the darkness, disappearing in an instant. Aleks was left along in the bleak wilderness of his own mind. The trickling noise reached his ears once again, along with a single parting call from _It. "In the meantime, look, and remember all of those you have killed to reach this point."_

A dim glow began to seep into the landscape, illuminating something that the most depraved murders nightmares would pale in comparison to. Three mountains of death surrounded him. One of humans, one of Fanus and one of Grimm. They stretched for meters and meters in heights, and each was at least half a dozen across. People, Fanus, and Grimm of all shapes and sized were stashed there, each with their face a picture of pure horror as they died. At his hands.

These, he noted, were only beings that he had killed. _It_ had left out all of the other deaths it had caused. The noise he had taken to be water was blood, running from the three mountains, trickling over his boots.

He sighed, and bowed his head, closing his eyes for the final time that nightmare. Before his eyes closed fully however, he noticed a specific face. Its expression wasn't one of horror, but one of acceptance and sadness. It was a face he would recognise anywhere, at any time. He had time to choke out a muffled "NO!", before his mind went blank.

~Break~

Aleks shot upright with a start, hauling in huge gasps of air to sustain his heart, which was thundering in his chest so hard he swore it could wake JNPR across the hall. The face he had glimpsed seemed to hang in his vision, almost taunting him. "It can't be you. They killed you." he murmured to himself. Shaking the image from his mind, he rolled out of his "bed", and dropped to the floor in front of the door to begin a new day.

~Break~

With a terse look at team CRDL for being late once again, Professor Goodwitch resumed the briefing for the field trip to Forever Fall Forrest. "Now, each team will collect one jar of Red Sap per team member. These will be returned to Professor Peach for use in your lesson the next week. As a safety precaution, I shall be accompanying you on this trip, to ensure you all return alive. Any questions"?

"Why are we doing this professor? I mean, I came here to become a hunter, not a dammed botanist." Asked Sky Lark sarcastically, earning an approving nod off his team leader.

"Because knowledge of the fauna and flora of Remmenant is a key part of a Hunter's field skills Mr Lark. And, because a member of staff requested you do so."

"What's the threat level of Grimm in the forest Professor?"

That question caught her attention. Most students turned at the voice as well. It came from Team RWBY. A member of the team who was even quieter than Blake. A person who so rarely spoke in public.

"Forever Fall is known for its large concentrations of Grimm surrounding the Railroad to the north. It is for this reason that our trip will take place in the southern reaches of the forest. That being said, it is always wise to expect the unexpected. It is almost guaranteed that the noise a group of teenagers make will attract Grimm. What remains to be seen, is just what type, and how many hear you. On a more dangerous note, recently the White Fang have made several attacks on trains traveling through Forever Fall. While we do not expect them to engage a group of Trainee Hunters, as before, always be on your guard. Should you be attacked, you are free to respond however you deem appropriate".

The Professor stood and motioned for the students to do the same. "Now, if there are no further questions, let us depart. "

The three gathered teams of RWBY, JNPR and CRDL stood and followed her out of the doors.


	7. Monsters Within

**A/N Alright: I alologize if this chapter is below my normal standard, i was just so over writing this one, so i gave it a quick finish and uploaded it. Enjoy!**

* * *

Aleks drew his pistol and racked a round into the chamber as Professor Goodwitch gave them leave to move about and collect their Teams Sap. That simple motion drew a look from Weiss.

"Expecting Trouble?"

He gave her a demining snort. "How else do you think I got my scars? From trouble. So yes, I always expect trouble _Princess_. Expecting the worst from everything has kept me alive". A quiet snicker from Yang drew Weiss's angry glare, as Ruby began to lead them off alongside Team JNPR, oblivious to the tensions inside her team.

Pyrrah however hung back; giving Jaune a long, sad stare as Cardin shoved him away from them. Aleks held back with her, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"He made his choice Pyrrah. It's not your fault."

She simply shrugged off his hand and turned away.

~Break~

"4'oclock can't come fast enough", muttered Yang, filling yet another jar.

"Only another hour Yang" Aleks called over his shoulder. All he got in response was a defeated moan as the Blond slumped her head.

"Well, as far as I know, Glynda is off looking for her own list of things. I'll grab Weiss and Ruby, and we can go and do something else. You and Blake stay here".

He placed the last jar of his Sap on the ground, and moved off to the nearby clearing where the _Princess_ had taken her young partner. As he walked, he wondered, "Why does Weiss always drag Ruby away when she has the chance? Granted, they are partners, but still"… His thoughts were suddenly cut off as a piercing scream cut through the air. Dropping all pretence of calm, he tore his way through the forest.

_**Moments Earlier**_

_Weiss:_

Weiss sighed once more, as she listened to her young partner, and team leader rabbiting on again, something about the next part of "Weapons Magazine" having tips on ammo making. Shaking her head, she closed off the jar she held, and turned to Reprimand Ruby for not focusing on the job.

On seeing the look of unrestrained joy on her face as she talked however, she decided to let her talk. She never could quite put her finger on it, but the way her partner spoke always stirred something inside her. A warm joyous feeling, which almost moved her back to the childhood she never had. She cherished the joy Ruby brought with her. The never ending optimism. Almost without realising it, Weiss had slowly become to need her. A bellowing roar snatched her eyes up, and she froze in utter fear.

An Ursa bounded out of the Forrest behind Ruby. With no weapon at the ready, no Aura to defend her, and no awareness of the situation Ruby was ruthlessly snatched from her feet, and thrown across the clearing, slamming her back into a tree, and crumpling unconscious to the ground, a small lump of red and black.

"RUBY!" She screamed, feeling her heart plummet off its high, dropping to terrifying lows, as she watched her friend crumple like a sack of meat. Her heart thundering in her chest, Weiss tore Myrtenaster free of its binding around her waist, and sent a flurry of burning streams of dust towards to beast. It yowled, rearing onto its back legs as the burn dust splashed across its front, leaving its fur charred. Letting out battle cry, Weiss raised her rapier, and charged the Ursa, using her Yellow dust to send her blade scything down its gut. Quicker than she expected, it swung a paw at her as she blazed past, catching her waist and tearing her Combat Skirt. Skidding to a stop, she charged her blade again with Violet energy; she ducked the next strike, took a deep breath, and drove her blade straight up, and through the looming Ursa's jaw, penetrating its brain. "And stay dead you monster!" she shouted, before releasing her hold on Myrtenaster and stumbling towards Ruby's crumpled form.

Weiss cursed, and dropped to her knees, shaking the form on the ground. "Ruby?! RUBY!"

"Ughh. Weiss? What? I…I don't." That was all she managed to stutter out before widening her eyes, and gripping Weiss's arm in a vice grip. Subtle growls followed this, and Weiss turned in abject horror as an entire pack of at least three dozen Ursi trooped into the clearing. "Ruby, run. Now. GO!"

"I…I can't Weiss. My leg. "

A feral roar forced the girls to lock eyes. "I'm sorry Ruby" Whispered Weiss, drawing her into an embrace. As the shadows fell across the two huddled girls, weapon less, and defenceless, they closed their eyes, and waited for the end.

"Rrrrrahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" split the air, as a wave of death smacked into the lead Ursi. As hey eyes snapped open, Weiss glimpsed another shadow flying out of the Forrest. It smashed into the closest Ursi, and pulverised its head, splattering brain matter and bone shards all over its self before dropping back to the ground, and flipping backwards, landing in a crouch in front of the two girls. "ALEKS?!" Ruby shouted in Weiss's ear.

A guttural laugh returned to the girls, before a smooth, lilting voice said

"_Not quite. He's…..indisposed for now, and won't be back for a short while. "_

Glancing at Ruby in fear, at the alien voice they heard coming from their team mate's body, Weiss asked a hesitant question.

"Who are you?"

The figure glanced back at the huddled girls, showing them Aleks's face, but instead of his ice blue eyes, all they say were bottomless pits of glazed black.

"_Your team mate refuses to give me a name. But a Fanus he knew once called me Akumu Kage. Now girl, shut up and let me have some fun."_

As whatever the figure was stood, the Ursi seemed to recover their senses, and let out a collective bellow. All Weiss heard in return from the thing that called its self "Akumu", was: _"Now the fun begins"._

All the girls could do was look on in abject terror as what they could only call a slaughter took place in front of them.

Akumu ignored the weapons on its belt and leg, and instead drew shadows to its arms, twisting and forming them into cruelly barbed blades, attached to shadow gauntlets. As the lead charging Ursi reached him, he caught its swiping paw on his shadow gauntlet, and slowly dragged his free blade along the creature's thigh, before driving it into the Ursi's shoulder, leaving it howling on the ground in pain, as he moved his attention to a new adversary.

Charging forwards, he drove each of his blades into two beasts standing next to each other, sending them sprawling onto their backs with gaping wounds in their bellies, lengths of intestine slipping out of them. In quick succession, he dove forwards, rolled to his feet, and spun in a circle, ripping out the throats of another half dozen Ursi, the meat dangling grotesquely from the barbs on his blades.

Almost like a dancer, he flowed from one kill to the next, plunging a blade into an eye here, and tearing out an organ there, until a full three dozen Ursi were left dead on the forest floor, the trees painted with their blood and organs.

Bar one. The first Ursi that was attacked was still scrabbling to get away from the Grim, silent figure that had torn apart its pack. Suddenly a tendril of shadows snatched at its leg, hoisting up into the air. It roared in pain, as it drew face to face with the heartless killer. Akumu smiled at the monster, before gently laying a hand on its bony crest. He drew "his" semblance in, and took hold of the shadows contained within the Ursi. He tugged at them, causing the skin on the Ursi to boil and shift as the shadows pulsed. He let out a low laugh, before sending all his power through the shadows, causing the Ursa to simple stop. And explode.

A monumental cloud of blood, bone and gore appeared, as the Ursa simple transformed into a red mist. The shadows that had exploded it hung there in the air, before slowly dissolving into nothingness.

Akumu cocked its head, before sighing. "Ahh. I love doing this. Alas, all good things must come to an end. You are your own again… for now."

The shadowy gauntlets and blades hissed, and faded away; leaving a shaking, figure behind.

Aleks raised his head, took a look at the carnage around him, and let out a low oath, that he would someday, somehow, destroy the monster that lived inside him.

He turned to check on Ruby and Weiss, halting at the sight of Yang and Blake crouching over the pair. Weiss snapped her head round, her eyes ablaze. "STAY THERE!".

Yang snapped her head around at the tone. "Weiss? What's wrong?"

"He, h….he. JUST LOOK AROUND!, How could one person do that?!"

It seemed like it was only just then that Yang and Blake noticed the gore drenched clearing. "What happened here", asked Blake. "Why is he the only one who looks like he's been fighting?".

All five of them turned at the sound of a whistle being blown, signifying that the day had ended, and it was time to return to Beacon.

"Later. I promise I'll explain it all later", Said Aleks. "But we need to take care of Ruby, and get back to the group".

As it turned out, according to Blake, all Ruby had was severe joint shock along her left side. No breaks. No nothing. So she limped back to Goodwitch and spun a story about falling out of a tree. Weiss refused to let Aleks help Ruby, fearful after his display of wonton destruction.

~Break~

As soon as they walked in the door of their dorm room, and got Ruby settled on her bed, Weiss slammed the door closed, and sent Aleks flying into a wall, pinning his arms, legs and body with glyphs.

As Blake, Yang and Ruby looked on, Weiss stepped straight up to him, and flatly said two words.

"Explain. Now."

He stared her in the eye for a long moment, before lowering his eyes, and giving a curt nod.

Weiss stepped back, but did not relinquish the hold her glyphs had on him.

He stared at the floor, collecting his thoughts before slowly starting.

"It's funny how much you change when something bad happens. How your perception of the world twists. You want to know what happened in the Forrest? You need to know about my life." He sighed again, and resigned himself to the fate he was about to endure.

" 10 years. 10 years ago my parents were killed. No one knows who, or why. Only that it happened. Until then, I was just a kid. But the day I came home to find the house smouldering on the ground, and two blood stained sheets on the ground outside, I ceased to be normal. I won't detail what happened to my parents, but suffice it to say, they suffered before they died. All the police could tell me, was that traces of Male Bull Fanus DNA had been found, registered to a prominent White Fang criminal. It was homes, and orphanages from then on out. I made a few friends, lost a few. Fought like any other kid. But I never came back to who I was. I was always dead inside. Skip forwards a few years. You'd all know that the White Fang became more aggressive around that time. They decided to attack a group of "Racists". They chose wrong. I fought back. Apparently a 14 year old caused enough damage for them to consider me worthy of abduction. So they took me as they retreated."

He shook his head with a rueful smile.

"For 2 years, they kept me. I became nothing more than a slave, a toy, to their leaders. Think of how a prized fighting dog is kept. Then you'll have some idea of my life during that time. The used me as training for their new recruits. Sport for their lieutenants. Just about anything you can think of, they did to me. But they made a mistake. They believed that they broke me. And as you saw today. No one is ever exactly what they seem. They left me to my own devices when they grew tired of me during the day. And in that time, _"It"_ took form. All the rage, anger, hate, distrust, suspicion and hurt came together, and settled in my mind. It gave me strength….power. And the basic desire of all predators. To kill. So I did. 64 Fanus died the night I escaped. I killed their leader, took his head, and left. Hence the scars. The hospital reports on my condition when I arrived said I should have died within seconds of receiving over half of my injuries. Supposedly it was a "miracle" I was alive, and utterly impossible for me to be walking. Hate lets a person do powerful things. "

"But having the power "_It"_ gives me, comes with a price, as the psychological reports showed". Raised his head to meet the eyes of his team, and flatly stated a passage he had long ago committed to memory.

"Aleksander has the potential to become the most dangerous murderer humanity has ever seen. We recommend his immediate confinement to a secure psychological hospital, and round the clock observation alongside neural suppressants and physical immobilisers."

So, against their orders, I left the hospital. Worked for a while. You name it, I did it. Bodyguard, enforcer, Eliminator, backstreet fights, Grimm hunting. Intelligence gathering…. Interrogations.

I lived in the woods. Ate what I could find, or kill. Met a Fanus girl on the run. I got punched in the face by her the moment we met, hence the odd shape of my jaw. From there on we kind of stuck with each other. It was strange sticking with one person for so long. I guess my whole life had been a blur of different people. Funny how a Fanus and human could be so alike. No family, no friends to speak of. No one to trust. Just ourselves. We stuck together for half a year. Taught each other. Worked where ever we could find work. Fought, laughed, and argued. And came to trust each other." Aleks let out a scoff, and a small grin. "Hell, it almost seemed like we were siblings for a while. Siblings with the same problem. The need to control out Auras. And it caused…a problem. My…."Other", decided it was going to show its self to her. Hence how it got a name. "Akumu Kage", she called it. Nightmare Shadow. And she didn't seem to care. _"Everyone has their daemons" _she said. So for the most part, it stayed silent. We sparred from time to time, to keep our skills sharp. Until one day."

Aleks sighed, and closed his eyes again, shuddering at the memory's that flooded his mind. "We fought one day. A simple sparring match, like any other. We were using out weapons, just for practice. She managed to land a strike on me. Straight down my arm. And something happened. "Akumu Kage", decided it didn't like being injured. So it retaliated. It lashed out at her full force, and nearly got me killed. Her own Aura took control of her. And nearly ripped my heart from my chest. We fought. And I knocked her unconscious. Akumu Kage managed to drag me away, half dead, again. I don't know what she did. Or if she woke up. The last thing I remember seeing her doing was lying in a snowdrift, surrounded by splatters of my blood. Akumu Kage took me away. Stitched me up. And I left Vale for a while. "

"More Mercenary work in the surrounding countryside. Mostly Grimm hunting. I managed to make "It", stay in my subconscious for the most part. With my own mind or with a drug I found. Unless something, or someone I care about is threatened. When that happens…. Well Weiss, you and Ruby saw what happens then. So I keep it suppressed."

He kept his eyes focused on the floor, desperately trying to shove the painful emotions he was feeling back down into the depths of his mind. A glistening tear formed in the corner of his eye and threatened to fall own his cheek. In a split second, the pressure binding him to the wall vanished, and he collapsed forwards, hitting the floor on his hands and knees. A pair of arms appeared in his vision, one gauntleted, and one wrapped in black bindings. Gratefully, he took them, allowing Blake and Yang to haul him to his feet.

"Let the past stay in the past", was all Blake had time to say, before all heads whirled as one to the door thundered open….


	8. Announcement

Alright then Folks.

Author collaborations are going to be happening.

OkamiTheBlueWolf and my self are going to be starting work on a story called "Of Wolfs and Shadows", following our characters before their time at Beacon.

Watch her story, "Trouble Maker or Love Councilor?", and my story, "A Flame in the Darkness" for updates on when this will be coming out, and where to find it.

Until the next chapter then. (Which will hopefully be in less than 3 days AEST time.)

~Snake of the West~


	9. Break

Nora simply stopped inside the doorway, looking expectantly at the five of us, before suddenly seeming to remember that she was the one who had barged in.

"Come on guys! Didn't you hear the Professor Goodwitch mention that Headmaster Ozpin wants all of the 1st years in the main hall this evening?!"

Over her shoulder, they could see the rest of JNPR standing in the corridor, looking amused as their hyperactive team mate babbled on. Eventually, Nora managed to finish up her rambling speech with, "So come on. We're all supposed to be there in 10 minutes. "

Looking around at the rest of the group, Yang nodded, and then simply walked over to Ruby, who was still laying on her bed, and hoisted her up in her arms.

Ruby let out a small squeak of shock as the Brawler walked out the door with her, Blake trailing behind. Nora dashed out of the room in their footsteps, JNPR trailing hurriedly behind, leaving Aleks and Weiss alone in the dorm. Aleks locked eyes with her for a moment, before she gave him a curt nod, and followed everyone out the door.

He moved to follow the group, but as he did so, Akumu Kage returned to haunt his mind.

In a guttural snarl, it asked, "Why do you tempt me, revealing my existence as you did?"

"What was I to do!? Spin some lie about my using my semblance? You know they're too smart to believe some drivel like that!"

"Remember Mistral. If I need to, I will do whatever it takes to defend us. No matter who I must kill. Do not, tempt me, to kill your…"Team". It withdrew at that, leaving him standing utterly alone in the doorway, before being shocked back into action with Yang's shout of "MOVE IT!", echoing back down the corridor to him.

With a bland expression on his face, he shut the door, and ran after his team.

~Break~

"While I appreciate that several of you have had a long day, there is one or two final pieces of business we must attend to." Ozpin said, slowly wrapping up his briefing of the 1st year Teams.

"As you may have seen in the weekly reports, a new major criminal has made himself known in the Vale region." As he said this, an image flashed up on the screen behind him. It was a police Mugshot of a man who looked to be in his mid 30's, with a lick of flaming orange hair pulled across his forehead. "This…Is Roman Torchwick. He first became known to police when he stole small amount of dust from a friend and utilised it in an arson attack as part of the riots during the Fanus Rights Revolution. After his first arrest, and charge, he continued to make a name for himself but involving himself in many criminal activities and groups, especially those who focused on making profit from their activities. He was arrested 5 times for various crimes including armed robbery, use of restricted materials, monetary fraud, and much more."

As soon as the Picture flashed up, both Ruby visibly stiffened, and drew in a sharp breath, an action not unnoticed by the rest of her team. Aleks also reacted, but not in any overt way. All he did was narrow his eyes, and whisper one small sentence, almost inaudible to anyone, barring those with "Abnormally" sensitive hearing. ". "I said i'd find you you bastard", he whispered.

Blake Whipped her head around and gave him a questioning look, before her own attention was taken away by the next comment Ozpin made. "He is also believed to have made connections with the Fanus organization known as the White Fang, who have recently targeted several Dust shops in the Vale area." Pausing for a moment, he took a long look over the rims of his glasses at the young crowd in front of him. "I know Professor Goodwitch has spoken to some of you during the recent field trip. But i must reiterate, when you are away from the grounds of the academy, always….Always!, be on your guard. Now, if there are no questions, you are free to leave".

"Criminals. NO wonder there such a need for hunters!", Weiss exclaimed, as people streamed past them. "And the White Fang! A sorry bunch of criminal, lowlife, Fanus scum."

"HEY!, whats your problem?", Blake snapped out., causing no small amount of shock to those around her.

"Excuse me? MY problem is, that i don't particularly care for the criminally insane!", responded Weiss, slipping back into her "Hairess" tone of voice".

"There hardly insane! Just misguided!", spat back Blake, giving Weiss a furious look.

This aggressive conversation continued all the way back to the Dorms, both of the girls growing more and more frustrated with each other.

"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem", Weiss practically screamed, launching herself off her bed in a fit of rage.

"Thats just it! You don't understand! And that IS the problem!" Blake retaliated, also jumping to her feet, managing to hide the almost unnoticeable quiver in her bow. Almost managing to hide it.

"They'll break. Watch. The Princess will pull her trump card, and Black will make a mistake. They will break". Whispered Akumu Kage in his mind.

Lowering his head to his chest, he muttered back, "What makes you so sure. Weiss will crack with the right pressure applied, there is no doubt. But i sense Blake will withstand more than you credit her with".

All that was returned to him was a count. "5...4….3…"

"Well maybe we were tired of humans pushing us around!" Blake shouted, before standing frozen in shock as she realized what she had said.

"2….1…..she runs"

A flash of black tore out of the room with a little voice following it, desperately imploring her to stop. Ruby stood dejectedly in the doorway, as Weiss and Yang looked on in blank shock.

"Do you doubt me still?".

Aleks had no answer to that, still turning the facts over in his mind. Blake was ex white fang? She had been part of the group who held him prisoner and tortured him? She'd run, and tried to make a new life.

"Well done princess. You've driven off a teammate", he said, standing, and lofting himself into his bed without another word.

~Break~

No one was up to see the dawn with him the next day. Nor for the rest of the weekend.

With the remains of his team, they walked through Vale, Weiss, keeping up her uncaring act, Yang and Ruby dejected, and calling half heartedly for Blake.

Sighing, he walked silently after them, cursing the Ice Princess, and her destructive views. Until a flash of Silver, gold and orange caught his eye. Glancing at the still moving group of girls, he stopped, and slipped into an alleyway. A small cafe backed onto his ally, and from a glance at its rooftop area, he could clearly see "Monkey boy", who had brushed past them the day they lost Blake.

"Here in broad daylight?. You must be brave. Or you must have a reason", he mused. Leaving the still unaware girls to walk onwards, he quickly leapt onto a hanging fire escape, making his way up the switchback stairs, keeping to the shadows they cast on the buildings side.

Gaining some height, he surveyed the area. The monkey was seated in a corner of the rooftop, using his tail to sip a cup of what seemed to be coffee. "And surprise surprise", he thought, "there is our missing Fanus", staring straight at Blake, who was currently talking. A sudden surge of hatred took him, turning his vision cloudy, and as he squeezed the iron bars of the fire escape, he saw the White Fang who had captured him, all those years ago. He felt the searing pain running across his body, where their knifes, claws and teeth had cut into him. "Its not only been their weapons though", he thought, desperately trying to bury the memories, as quickly as they came.

"I can't hold Blake responsible for what they did. "

"Can you not? Was she not one of them?"

Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to move, climbing the last few steps to the roof of the building he was on. "People…..Change. Quiet. Now."

"Time to make myself known", he thought. Leaning up against the lip of the low wall that ran around the roof, he drew his weapons, and combined them into their rifle form. Doing so, he flicked a small, almost unnoticeable switch, concealed in the foregrip. A laser sight flicked on, its point of impact shining brightly.

~Blake~

"So, I left. I decided I no longer wanted to use my skills to aid in their violence, and instead, I would dedicate my life to becoming a Huntress. So here I am: a criminal hiding in plain view, all with the help of a little black bow."

Sun didn't say a word, staring intently, not at Blake, but at the teacup she was just raising to her lips. A dancing speck of red light graced it, before speeding down her arm, and making its way to rest on her nose. She let out a gasp as the flash of red caught her eye. "Don't, move", she told herself, expecting at any moment to be killed by a hail of gunshots. But instead of death, the laser motioned her eyes upwards. Scanning along the beams length, she noticed a slight hump, in the otherwise smooth roofline of the building opposite herself and Sun. As she stared, she bump slowly shifted itself, and began to resolve into the shape of a person she had been quite fearful of, ever since the Initiation. Ever since she learned that he had been a captive of the White Fang when she was a member herself.

The Laser dot disappeared from her vision, as did Aleks's figure. Sighing quietly, Blake looked back at Sun, who had barely turned around in time to catch a glimpse of Aleks. "Soooooo….Who was that?", she was asked be a slightly nervous Sun. Noticing his hand drifting downwards towards what appeared to be an extending staff, Blake sighed and answered, "He's my teammate." Sun nodded, and took another swig of his tea, missing Blake's small, "I hope".

~Aleks~

Aleks dispensed with any theatrics this time, simply taking a running jump over the gab between the Cafe and his building, roling, and sending "Monkey Boy" tumbling over in shock. He stopped at the edge of the table, glancing quickly at the still sputtering Monkey, before turning his attention to the quiet Cat Fanus sitting in front of him. She gave no clear sign of alarm at his entrance, besides a tightening in her jaw, and the typical twitch in her bow. He dragged over a chair from a nearby table, and quietly sat down in it, just waiting, not making a sound. The Monkey was only just getting up from the ground now, shooting him a wary look.

"Is it too much trouble to use the door?", he muttered, setting himself back into his chair.

"Yes", was all Aleks said, still staring unblinkingly into Blakes Amber eyes. At long last, she flicked her eyes up to meet his, and blinked in surprise. Clear, calm, icey blue stared back at her. Not the Black inky darkness she had been expecting.

Slowly, she said, "You're not…..Angry with me?".

"You weren't part of the white fang cell that kept me prisoner. You've never given me a reason otherwise.", Said Aleks, before throwing in a slightly harsh joke. "Besides, with Weiss prattling on, and Ruby arguing with her, its hard to get any sleep."

Blake just rolled her eyes. "Sun, meet Alek. One of my teammates." The two boys nodded at each other in greeting.

"Try to not fall over every time i'm around. Its not especially useful", Said Aleks. '

"You'll have to forgive me for not being used to people jumping off roofs next to me", retorted Sun.

"Enough with the testosterone." said Blake with a small smirk.

Aleks was content from there to let Blake and Sun hash out their next moves.

Understandable Blake still clung to the hope that the White Fan were not responsible for the robberies.

Eventually Sun hit on the idea of investigating the Dust shipment coming into the docks that night. As he so eloquently put it:

"I mean... the only way to prove that they didn't do it, is to go to the place where they would most likely go to if they were to do it, and not find them there! Right?"

~Break~

So there they were, several hours later, watching, and waiting, on yet again, another rooftop.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Alright then folks. I'm throwing you a question. Or, an option to have your input into this story.**

**I'll have the time to write one more chapter(I hope), before University forces me to go on a hiatus from writing next month.**

**My question is: What do you guys want to see in the next chapter?**

**A fight, Fluff(No promises), More of Aleks's back story? The choice is entirely up to you. Anything that you guys want to see/read, i'm willing to give a go at writing it for you.**

**So just leave your requests(If you have them), as a review, or PM me with them.**

**Thanks once again to the crazys that follow this story. **

**Bye for now, not forever. **

**Snake**

**A/A/N**

**You've**** got till Saturday the 24th AEST to have you say folks. **


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